HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI 259
NAGASAKI
Mitsubishi arms factory,
Saigo dormitory
Saibu Gas,
Ohashi factory
Mitsubishi shipyard,
Mount Inasa lumber mill
Inasa
Mount
Konpira
Mitsubishi arms factory,
Morimachi plant
Mitsubishi Electric,
Nagasaki factory
Mitsubishi
Nagasaki shipyard
Mitsubishi arms
factory, Ohashi
plant
Nagasaki
Harbor
1 ,
50
0 f
t
3 ,
00
0 f
t
5 ,
00
0
ft
6 ,
50
0
ft
10
,^0
00
ft
Nagasaki
prefectural
oce
Urakami catholic church
Nagasaki city hall
Nagasaki Medical College Hospital
Urakami First Hospital
Municipal Nagasaki Hospital
THE BOMB HITS NAGASAKI
AUGUST 9, 1945
Bockscar found the city of Kokura covered by
clouds, which had formed after a US firebomb
raid on nearby Yahata. After three failed runs,
the aircraft diverted to a secondary target city—
Nagasaki. The bomb was dropped at 11:02 am
local time, and exploded some 1,640 ft (500 m)
over the city. It missed its intended detonation
point by almost 2 miles (3.2 km), and damage to
the city was considerably less than at Hiroshima.
5
THE “FAT MAN” BOMB
JULY 16–AUGUST 9, 1945
Based on the prototype tested in the US, “Fat
Man” was a plutonium bomb named for its wide,
round shape. All of the weapon’s components
had arrived on Tinian in the Mariana Islands by
August 2, and the bomb was assembled during
the following week. The deadly payload was
loaded aboard a B-29, Bockscar, piloted by Major
Charles Sweeney. Bockscar, accompanied by five
other aircraft, left Tinian at 3:47 am on August 9
and headed for its primary target, Kokura.
4
DESTRUCTION OF TWO CITIES
The bombs that flattened Hiroshima and Nagasaki
were the first and last atomic weapons to be employed
in war. Their impact killed tens of thousands of people
instantly, with many more dying by the end of the year,
and their use ushered in the nuclear age.
Road
Railroad
Schools destroyed
Radius of damage
Hospitals destroyed
Buildings destroyed
Bombing routes
Built-up areas
KEY
Aug 9 The route of
the bomber Bockscar
over Nagasaki.
Aug 9 Fires burn at the
southern edge of the city.
11:02 am, Aug 9 The bomb
drops within range
of some of Nagasaki’s
arms factories and other
industrial facilities.
NAGASAKI EXPLOSION
Although the bomb dropped
on Nagasaki was more
powerful than the one used
on Hiroshima, its impact was
confined by the hillsides in the
surrounding valley.
△ Hiroshima after the blast
A man stands in Hiroshima’s ruins in the aftermath of the bombing.
Unaware that there had been an attack, the Japanese military were
puzzled by the ensuing radio silence from the city.
IMPACT AND AFTERMATH
AUGUST 9 ONWARD
Much of the center of Nagasaki was destroyed by
the blast and resultant firestorm, with fire damage
radiating outward around 1.8 miles (3 km). An
estimated 40,000 people were killed outright—
many of them munitions or industrial workers—
with another 60,000 injured. A further 40,000
people died by the end of the year from related
blast and burn injuries or from radiation sickness.
6
Area completely
destroyed
Structures destroyed
Structures on fire
or damaged
Factories destroyed
13
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0 ft
10
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0 ft
6 ,^5
00
ft
1 ,
50
0 f
t
HIROSHIMA
Army
headquarters
District
headquarters
Fukuye department
store
Red Cross Hospital
City Hall
Prefectural
Industrial
Promotion
Hall
Ground zero
2
3
4
5
6
1
TIMELINE
JAN 1945 MAR MAY JUL SEP NOV JAN 1946
US_258-259_Hiroshima_Nagasaki.indd 259 19/03/19 7:28 PM